Rockdale Folding Satellite Dish.

[Seaman]

I currently have a Maxview Omnisat satellite dish and tripod set up, which I feel takes up too much precious room in the caravan when not in use. There is obviously a weight penalty that eats into our loading allowance.

Please, does anyone have any experience of the Rockdale set up? It's compact size when packed away appeals to me. There was a few for sale on eBay, but they are listed a factory refurbished, does this mean they have a problem? Rockdale's website say's "Coming Soon", so I'm guessing they are waiting for a container from the far east?

 

 

http://www. rockdale. co. uk/folding-dish-system. html

 

 

David

[Steve Drew]

I have the same one that Maplin were selling on offer for £19. 99 a couple of years ago they are steel and really heavy, the case is strong but large, I kept the tripod which is alloy and light to use and went back to my standard Triax 60 cm dish with a folding lnb arm as its less then half the weight and takes up less room then the case.

[Seaman]

Thanks for your response Steve.

 

I didn't realise the case was so large and heavy. I may do as you and keep my tripod, but look for a lightweight dish.

 

As an aside, where in Southampton are you living? I was born at Hythe and most of my childhood was in Woolston in the shadow of Thorneycrofts.

 

David

[gumdrop]

I currently have a Maxview Omnisat satellite dish and tripod set up, which I feel takes up too much precious room in the caravan when not in use. There is obviously a weight penalty that eats into our loading allowance.

Please, does anyone have any experience of the Rockdale set up? It's compact size when packed away appeals to me. There was a few for sale on eBay, but they are listed a factory refurbished, does this mean they have a problem? Rockdale's website say's "Coming Soon", so I'm guessing they are waiting for a container from the far east?

 

 

http://www. rockdale. co. uk/folding-dish-system. html

 

 

David

I quite like the look of this one http://www. satelliteonline. co. uk/portable_satellite_dish. htm

[JTQ]

I quite like the look of this one http://www. satelliteonline. co. uk/portable_satellite_dish. htm

I have that one and am very pleased with it. Four friends have followed suit and got them.

It does away with a separate tripod and sitting right on the ground is very stable.

 

Of course being low it is at a slight disadvantage in looking over hedges, but as the beam here is coming down a "one in two" angle that limitation is not much of a problem.

It uses a Triax 54 CM steel dish so now it is going to struggle deeper down in France; not been this year to tell you where it can go but up to this year we had used it in Northern Spain, albeit just over the Pyrenees.

 

To save weight and space there is a powerful argument to have a UK specific use dish, and that could be even smaller than mine.

Edited August 10, 2014 by JTQ

[Ldsundance]

I bought one last year after my trip to Scotland, took it away with me last week but didn't need it, I got the dish with receiver, lnb and small sat finder that all fits in the case too, but from the pictures when I bought it, it doesn't look as big until you get it and the case is huge the size of a medium suit case, I dismantled mine and greased the pivot points as I found the were quite stiff, and also the top part of the tripod for it to swivl left to right to get a smoother action

 

[Ter]

I also had one of these and found the size and weight a problem. I bought a lighter 60cm dish and tripod which i now use, when not needed it fits nicely into the boot of the car so storage for me isnt a problem. Incidentally I gave the folding dish and case to my brother in law and he is quite happy with it .

[Seaman]

Cheers LD,

 

That's the one, but without the receiver. I saw one last year on the Isle of Wight, but the owners of the outfit were always out, so never got the chance to ask any questions. Is the dish plastic or some sort of resin? I suspect the carry case may defeat the object of space saving over the Maxview we have now?

 

David

[gumdrop]

The lightest dish I have seen was an acrylic transparent dish,

that travelled clipped to a wall in the caravan

[Ldsundance]

the tripod is alu, the dish and arm are metal with the outside of the dish plastic

[Seaman]

Hmmmm! Gumdrop, that sounds like a good idea, a couple of brackets in the wardrobe would solve that!!

 

David

the tripod is alu, the dish and arm are metal with the outside of the dish plastic

Thanks again LD,

 

Can you think why most that are currently on sale are factory refurbished. Is there something on them that is weak and breaking?

 

David

[gumdrop]

Hmmmm! Gumdrop, that sounds like a good idea, a couple of brackets in the wardrobe would solve that!!

 

David

Thanks again LD,

 

Can you think why most that are currently on sale are factory refurbished. Is there something on them that is weak and breaking?

 

David

They used turnbuckles and velcro.

[Ldsundance]

I cant think of anything that would easily break or is weak, with mine being stiff to turn left and right on the trip and taking it off found the metal bracket it had made some grooves in the Alu but using a dremmel smoothed the alu and bracket down where it was catching and sprayed on some white lithium grease and is better than new, the only other thing I can think of is if the dish has been re painted if there were any scratches on, although I don't think it affects it more just for asthetics, but most probably they have just been returned and inspected but nothing wrong with them so sold as refurbed

 

its hard to see but mine has a couple of scratches and a dent on the left side

Edited August 10, 2014 by Ldsundance

[Seaman]

Thanks LD,

 

Close up, it does look quite strong, so maybe your notion about scratches could be right?

 

Did you set it up to photograph it especially for me, if so you are very kind, thank you!!!

 

David

Edited August 10, 2014 by Seaman

[Vin Blanc]

My 57cm cassegrain dish travels in the van, face down on the rear located fixed double bed. Likewise my 80cm transparent plastic dish, although I have to remove the LNB arm from it first.

 

The tripod folds down and is easily stored beneath the bed together with the cables etc.

 

When a dish is not required I simply move it (or them) into the car for the night.

 

Vin Blanc

[Steve Drew]

Thanks for your response Steve.

 

I didn't realise the case was so large and heavy. I may do as you and keep my tripod, but look for a lightweight dish.

 

As an aside, where in Southampton are you living? I was born at Hythe and most of my childhood was in Woolston in the shadow of Thorneycrofts.

 

David

Sholing so very close to Woolston you must of lived close or in Victoria Road then?

Edited August 11, 2014 by Steve Drew

[Seaman]

Sholing so very close to Woolston you must of lived close or in Victoria Road then?

I lived in Holland Rd, a little col-de-sac off of Church Rd. My school was Woolston Secondary on Portsmouth Rd. I left in 1965 when I joined the RN, my parents moved to Ringwood not long after.

David